Legislated by the Local Government Act, the OCP establishes the District’s objectives, policies and guidelines to inform land use decisions within the municipal boundaries. It is required to accommodate the District’s identified twenty year housing need, identify commercial, industrial, institutional, agricultural, recreational lands, and outline the lands that are subject to development permit areas. OCPs can also include policies related to the social well-being of residents, protection of the natural environment, promotion of multi-modal transportation, and strengthening of regional relationships and alignment.
The vision and priorities of a community shape the content of an OCP. Therefore, it provides an important opportunity for community stakeholders to provide input into what is intended to be forward-thinking and adaptable vision of the community’s future growth and development.
The ZBL is an implementation tool for the District’s OCP. Unlike OCPs, ZBLs provide more specific regulations that govern land use. They are not designed to be high-level or conceptual, but to provide the specific parameters that existing and future development must meet. They are a key tool in implementing the community’s vision outlined in the OCP. It is important that ZBLs align with the OCP land use framework to support the effective and coordinated delivery of the community’s vision. An overly prescriptive or restrictive ZBL can often result in additional staff time processing rezonings, confusion in the development community, and development that limits growth.
Why is the District updating the OCP and ZBL?
As mandated by the provincial government, all municipalities in BC were required to complete Interim Housing Needs Reports by the end of 2024 to identify their twenty-year housing needs. As a consequence, all municipalities are required to review and update their OCPs and ZBLs by December 31, 2025, to provide sufficient capacity and supporting infrastructure to accommodate the identify housing needs. The District’s Interim Housing Needs Report was completed in November 2024 and identified a need for 157 additional housing units within the next five years and 508 units over the next 20 years.
Outside of the recent provincial requirement, it is also best practice to undertake a periodic review of these bylaws to make sure the vision and policies reflect the current conditions and desires of the community. To reinforce this point, new provincial legislation will now require OCPs to be reviewed each five years. The District’s OCP, which was adopted in 2016, is not nine years old, and has been amended 13 time since its adoption. This review and update will provide an opportunity to reconsider the communities vision for 100 Mile House, update / remove policies that may no longer be relevant, and introduce new policies and regulatory tools to support the District deliver sustainable growth over the next twenty-years.
